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NORAD and U.S. Coast Guard Set for Super Bowl Security

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2006  The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Coast Guard will contribute to security operations for the Feb. 5 Super Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

The aerospace command will fly Operation Noble Eagle air defense protection missions in the Detroit and Windsor, Ont., Canada area, officials said. Windsor is just across the Detroit River from Michigan. And NORAD has military assets from both Canada and the U.S.

Operation Noble Eagle is a defense and civil support mission started after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to help protect the U.S. homeland.

On Feb. 2, NORAD conducted an exercise, which met all essential mission objectives to ensure the highest state of readiness for airspace security and defense for the football game, Michael B. Perini, NORAD director of public affairs, said.

Command mission assets for Super Bowl XL will include CF 18s, F 16s, an E-3 airborne early warning and control system aircraft, and air refueling tankers, NORAD officials said.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and NAV Canada, a private corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation service, will enhance NORAD's capability with its interior radars that "feed a comprehensive air picture to defense sectors controlling the air picture, allowing instantaneous communication," according to a NORAD press release.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint U.S.-Canada command responsible for the airspace defense of North America. The command regularly conducts missions similar to its Super Bowl mission, and its aircraft are on alert or conducting irregular patrols throughout the country, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, NORAD officials said.

The Coast Guard is the designated lead agency for maritime security for the game, and has established a "security zone 1 mile by 300 yards along the waterfront from Joe Louis Arena to north of the Renaissance Center," according to a Coast Guard press release.

As an enhanced measure the U.S and Canadian governments have authorized the implementation of an integrated maritime security operation, which allows Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers to go onboard Coast Guard vessels patrolling the Detroit River, Coast Guard officials said.

The temporary Coast Guard security zone will help ensure the safety of up to 450,000 people who are expected to attend the Super Bowl and other related activities in the Detroit area. The zone has been in effect since Jan. 31, and will remain so until 8 a.m. Feb. 6, officials said.